It is common for consumers of digital entertainment provided in interactive or non-interactive media to engage with the media to a large degree, particularly with interactive media. An example of interactive media is video games. Consumers invest time and/or resources progressing through events in the interactive media. One example of this is development of a digital character or avatar (collectively referred to as a character) that is represented in a virtual universe provided by the interactive media. Such development can include customizing the appearance or likeness of the character, improving the characteristics of the character, including personal characteristics or accessories, or engaging in various events with the character. The consumer preferably can control the character in an interactive environment. This allows the character to be part of an interactive adventure, while characteristics of the character are improved as the adventure progresses. Examples of such virtual universes include both offline and online universes.
Some recent characters in virtual universes have been associated with real-world objects that include interactive devices such as RFID, USB, or a digital code (e.g., numeric, bar codes, etc.) for providing a relationship between the real-world object and the interactive media. An example of systems that include such real-world objects and associated interactive media is the Skylanders™ system. Another example is the Webkins™ line of interactive toys. Systems that allow a consumer to invest in a character are increasingly popular.